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Journalism Division

The Journalism Division includes freelance journalists of all types; from stringers to feature writers to editors; for both print and the web. Freelancers in the digital age have seen their rates plummet. In the early days of writing for the web, writers bought the argument that readers demanded their content for free and the platforms were having trouble monetizing it. This is no longer the case. The revenue streams for digital content have grown over the last fifteen years while the rates that writers earn have mostly stagnated. A generation of writers have come of age believing that their writing is worth ten cents, five cents a word – many have even agreed for years to write for free in exchange for “exposure.” Our mission is to bring together freelance writers so that we can marshal our collective knowledge and financial resources to challenge this status quo. We need to research and define new standards for freelance journalism in the digital age and to promote and enforce those standards among our peers. We can have an impact, but we need you to join us. Our dues can help fund larger national initiatives to raise standards, but more importantly our members’ knowledge can help us map out the strategy and tactics it will take to win. Join the NWU Journalism Division today and get involved!

Latest Division News

We’re glad to announce that the final 4th quarter payment of the Ebony settlement is complete. The last $18,323 is en route to 16 writers. It was due Dec. 28, but Michael Gibson, president of the ownershp group CVG and CEO of Ebony Media, decided to get this done after being sued in court and slammed […]

On Saturday, December 1, NWU President Larry Goldbetter and executive committee member A.J. Springer were recognized for their work in getting Ebony freelancers paid at Richard Prince’s 9th Annual Journal-isms Roundtable Holiday Party at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Journal-isms covers all aspects of Black media and is a leading voice for diversity in publishing. Prince was […]

Last August, the NWU Delegate Assembly passed a resolution in support of journalist Manuel Duran Ortega, a Salvadoran immigrant seeking asylum in the US. Duran Ortega was a TV reporter in El Salvador who became a respected journalist in Memphis, TN, writing for the Spanish-language publication Memphis Noticias. While wearing a press badge and reporting at […]